Bad luck for La. Tech

Published: Thursday, December 6, 2012 at 8:40 a.m.

Last Modified: Thursday, December 6, 2012 at 9:29 a.m.

If you watched Louisiana Tech's football team play this season, you would know that it had one pretty explosive offense.

The Bulldogs had the nation's top offensive unit, which averaged 51 points and 578 yards per game.

It seemed like any play Bulldogs coach Sonny Dykes, who became the new coach at the University of California on Wednesday, called during a game was destined to go the distance for a touchdown. The Bulldogs' explosive offense paved the way to a 9-3 season, a AP Top 25 ranking (reaching as high as 19) and the chance to play in a big bowl game to cap the year.

But when it came time to make the biggest play call of the season by choosing a bowl, the Bulldogs athletic administration fumbled it all away.

Earlier this week, it was reported that Louisiana Tech had several bowl possibilities at its doorstep, ranging from the Liberty Bowl to the Heart of Dallas Bowl to the Independence Bowl in Shreveport.

The Independence Bowl came knocking first, offering the Bulldogs a chance to play in a bowl game located a short-distance from their Ruston campus.

The Bulldogs opted to wait for a bigger bowl to come knocking, but a series of events that started with Northern Illinois grabbing a BCS bowl game sparked a trickle-down effect on the postseason bowl totem pole.

The Liberty Bowl chose Iowa State and Tulsa, while the Heart of Dallas Bowl took Purdue and Oklahoma State.

The Bulldogs reportedly hoped their friends in Shreveport would hold a spot in case things went wrong, but the Independence Bowl had already reached an agreement to feature Ohio University and Louisiana-Monroe in its annual showdown.

In the end, Louisiana Tech was left on the outside looking in, missing a chance to cap its successful season with a bowl game.

It is such an unfortunate scenario for the Bulldogs. It's not often where a nine-win team who is not on NCAA probation misses a bowl game.

But the Bulldogs knew the risks involved in playing the bowl shuffle game, and they tossed a pair of snake eyes at the wrong time.

You have to feel bad for the Bulldogs players and fans for not being rewarded a bowl game. One of the area's local players in Bulldogs senior offensive lineman Jordan Mills, a former Assumption product, won't get a chance to end his career with a bowl game.

It's a tragedy that the Bulldogs will be sitting at home for the holidays, but there are many places to point the blame.

The bowl system is a joke, and it is unfair how some bowl destinations toy with the emotions of schools for their own good.

Louisiana Tech's administration should also be criticized for how it handled the situation.

While you can't blame them for trying to get a more attractive bowl game, the Bulldogs should have proceeded with caution when trying to play the high-stakes game of bowl selection.

In the long run, everyone involved with Louisiana Tech athletics will suffer from the mishandling of the bowl game.

As a college, Louisiana Tech will miss out on bowl revenue, extra practice time and all the other added perks that come with playing a postseason game. The school may have also earned a black eye on the national and recruiting fronts from this ordeal.

Shreveport will miss out on the chance to host a game between Louisiana Tech and Louisiana-Monroe, which I'm sure would have been a great game and atmosphere between two schools located a half-hour from each other.

And most importantly, the Bulldogs players won't be truly rewarded for all their hard work and accomplishments this season.

That's the equivalent of finding a lump of coal in your Christmas Day stockings.

It's a horrible way to end a season, and Louisiana Tech deserved way better.

Staff writer Chris Singleton can be reached at 857-2213 or 448-1200 ext. 2213 or chris.singleton@houmatoday.com.

<p>If you watched Louisiana Tech's football team play this season, you would know that it had one pretty explosive offense.</p><p>The Bulldogs had the nation's top offensive unit, which averaged 51 points and 578 yards per game.</p><p>It seemed like any play Bulldogs coach Sonny Dykes, who became the new coach at the University of California on Wednesday, called during a game was destined to go the distance for a touchdown. The Bulldogs' explosive offense paved the way to a 9-3 season, a AP Top 25 ranking (reaching as high as 19) and the chance to play in a big bowl game to cap the year.</p><p>But when it came time to make the biggest play call of the season by choosing a bowl, the Bulldogs athletic administration fumbled it all away. </p><p>Earlier this week, it was reported that Louisiana Tech had several bowl possibilities at its doorstep, ranging from the Liberty Bowl to the Heart of Dallas Bowl to the Independence Bowl in Shreveport.</p><p>The Independence Bowl came knocking first, offering the Bulldogs a chance to play in a bowl game located a short-distance from their Ruston campus. </p><p>The Bulldogs opted to wait for a bigger bowl to come knocking, but a series of events that started with Northern Illinois grabbing a BCS bowl game sparked a trickle-down effect on the postseason bowl totem pole. </p><p>The Liberty Bowl chose Iowa State and Tulsa, while the Heart of Dallas Bowl took Purdue and Oklahoma State.</p><p>The Bulldogs reportedly hoped their friends in Shreveport would hold a spot in case things went wrong, but the Independence Bowl had already reached an agreement to feature Ohio University and Louisiana-Monroe in its annual showdown. </p><p>In the end, Louisiana Tech was left on the outside looking in, missing a chance to cap its successful season with a bowl game. </p><p>It is such an unfortunate scenario for the Bulldogs. It's not often where a nine-win team who is not on NCAA probation misses a bowl game.</p><p>But the Bulldogs knew the risks involved in playing the bowl shuffle game, and they tossed a pair of snake eyes at the wrong time. </p><p>You have to feel bad for the Bulldogs players and fans for not being rewarded a bowl game. One of the area's local players in Bulldogs senior offensive lineman Jordan Mills, a former Assumption product, won't get a chance to end his career with a bowl game.</p><p>It's a tragedy that the Bulldogs will be sitting at home for the holidays, but there are many places to point the blame.</p><p>The bowl system is a joke, and it is unfair how some bowl destinations toy with the emotions of schools for their own good.</p><p>Louisiana Tech's administration should also be criticized for how it handled the situation. </p><p>While you can't blame them for trying to get a more attractive bowl game, the Bulldogs should have proceeded with caution when trying to play the high-stakes game of bowl selection. </p><p>In the long run, everyone involved with Louisiana Tech athletics will suffer from the mishandling of the bowl game. </p><p>As a college, Louisiana Tech will miss out on bowl revenue, extra practice time and all the other added perks that come with playing a postseason game. The school may have also earned a black eye on the national and recruiting fronts from this ordeal. </p><p>Shreveport will miss out on the chance to host a game between Louisiana Tech and Louisiana-Monroe, which I'm sure would have been a great game and atmosphere between two schools located a half-hour from each other.</p><p>And most importantly, the Bulldogs players won't be truly rewarded for all their hard work and accomplishments this season.</p><p>That's the equivalent of finding a lump of coal in your Christmas Day stockings.</p><p>It's a horrible way to end a season, and Louisiana Tech deserved way better.</p><p>Staff writer Chris Singleton can be reached at 857-2213 or 448-1200 ext. 2213 or chris.singleton@houmatoday.com.</p>